What are the Benefits of Going Paperless?

December 20, 2013 by Coleman Data Solutions

The benefits of going paperless involve much more than the obvious cost savings from spending less on paper and ink. Storage related products (filing cabinets/bankers boxes) and space also are at a premium. For example, electronic documents can be easily backed up in many cases with off site storage space no longer being necessary.

Paperless Filing

A great advantage to going paperless involves secure, paperless filing systems. The security features in an electronic filing setup means that all files can be password protected, in addition to placing access rights on a file-by-file basis. Furthermore, there is transparency in that what is accessed, by whom, and when are all tracked. Some other benefits include:

Streamlining workflows

Any number of authorized users can access documents at the same time. This leads to better collaboration among the users. While a paperless system is physically centralized and stationary, in reality it is very portable for its users. This accommodates all types of users with varying working hours and locations. Users can access the documents electronically while travelling, from a hotel late at night, for example.

Fast and accurate customer response – when a customer makes document requests, they can be responded to quickly with a paperless system. The documents are a couple of clicks away and can then be sent by email with another couple of clicks. Compare this scenario vs. rifling through a bankers box or filing cabinet, then either making a copy to send physically or first converting the paper document to electronic form with a scanner. In a paperless setup, the customer gets the document(s) they need much faster, improving customer satisfaction. The organization benefits as a result, but also because human resources are being used in much more efficient manner – freeing up time to move on to the next task. Anything that increases production is money in the bank to an organization.

Customizing templates for documents that are frequently used in an organization

Ability to choose file formats. For example, the use of PDF documents allows for extra security of the documents in that users cannot modify them

While it is not possible and may never be, to go completely paperless, the benefits of just going in that direction are great. Moving towards less paper in any office is about advantages that come by integrating siloed data and, in turn, optimizing business processes while greatly reducing associated costs. Less paper means more security, accessibility, customer satisfaction, and greater adherence to regulatory demands while lowering costs in the management of an organization’s data.

Contact us today to explore paperless office solutions and start reaping the benefits. We offer a range of solutions with the flexibility to meet your time table and budget, from imaging and indexing of your paper records through document management solutions.